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Two of the three best bullpens remaining in the postseason belong to the American League by John Fisher moments ago • 3 min read Postseason baseball has become a bullpen game, almost unrecognizable from the game that's played in the regular season. Last postseason, 46.5 percent of the innings were pitched by relievers, the second-highest total for a single postseason, and the highest for one with more than one round. In the early going, this year's percentage is already higher (48.3 percent). With that in mind, let's break down the best bullpens among this year's playoff teams. There are obviously a few ways to look at it, but the answer is obvious no matter how you slice it. New York YankeesEverybody knows about the Yankees' trio of hard-throwing veterans: Closer Aroldis Chapman, and setup men Dellin Betances and David Robertson anchored the bullpen with the highest strikeout percentage in the majors this season. And among the 147 pitchers to appear … [Read more...] about MLB playoffs: Yankees and Brewers are among the three best bullpens remaining in the postseason

Tom Brady is apparently a man of many baseball teams. The California native grew up with the San Francisco Giants as his hometown team and was once spotted wearing (gasp) a New York Yankees hat in 2007. But during his weekly WEEI interview Monday morning, the New England Patriots quarterback — perhaps smartly — declared that his loyalties are with the Boston Red Sox in their American League Division Series against the Yankees. “The best teams rise to the occasion, and hopefully the Red Sox do,” Brady said, after being asked about dealing with increased pressure during the playoffs. “I know everyone is rooting for them,” he added. “I certainly am. I hope they take care of business.” The Red Sox certainly took care of business Monday night, trouncing the Yankees in a historically lopsided 16-1 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the series. But that wasn’t the only baseball outcome that Brady was celebrating over the weekend. During an … [Read more...] about The Red Sox aren’t the only team Tom Brady is rooting for in the MLB playoffs

Lefties Chris Sale, David Price and J.A. Happ could be the key this series by Jonah Keri @jonahkeri 54s ago • 6 min read In this, the five trillionth series pitting the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, a passel of different factors could decide the outcome.For Boston, you've got the Killer B's, the homegrown core of the roster that's led by likely MVP Mookie Betts. J.D. Martinez and Craig Kimbrel are super-elite talents in the middle of the lineup and back of the bullpen.Meanwhile New York's got the Baby Bombers, the group of young sluggers led by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton that got even better when the Yankees heisted out-of-nowhere star Luke Voit from St. Louis. Combine an offense that produced more home runs than any other in baseball history with the best bullpen in the league and you've got a fearsome October matchup.But here's the thing: The American League Division Series might very well get decided by midnight tomorrow … [Read more...] about Yankees vs. Red Sox in MLB playoffs: A tale of three lefties that could quickly swing the ALDS

In what looks like it will be another fun postseason, here are some fun things to keep an eye on by John Fisher 2m ago • 7 min read The Wild Card Games are in the books and all four division series are set. In this preview, we'll attempt to focus on one under-the-radar aspect of each playoff series, something that might not jump out in the team or individual stats, but will be fun to watch once we've pointed it out. LDS games will air on FS1, TBS and MLB Network. Games on TBS and FS1 can be streamed on fuboTV (Try for free). For a look at the complete schedule, <em>click here</em>. NLDS – Rockies vs. Brewers Two of the hottest teams in the National League will face off when the Rockies and Brewers meet in the NLDS. The Brewers are 20-7 since the start of September, and the Rockies are 20-10 in the same span. Both teams have MVP candidates -- Milwaukee has front-runner Christian Yelich, and Colorado has … [Read more...] about MLB playoffs 2018: One under-the-radar aspect to watch in every series, including Yankees vs. Red Sox

Joe Maddon doesn't have ideal options following Game 163 at Wrigley Field by Dayn Perry @daynperry 37s ago • 5 min read CHICAGO -- The National Central tiebreaker between the Brewers and Cubs on Monday at Wrigley Field wasn't a bullpen game in the 2018 sense of the term, but the two bullpens did play a determinative role in Milwaukee's eventual win. And as the two teams advance to the postseason, those bullpens are in very different shape. Coming into Monday's tilt, a reasonable question was whether either manager would treat the game as a must-win. These days that would entail going to your high-leverage relievers at the first hint of trouble, even if said hint came in, say, the third inning. Starters Jhoulys Chacin and Jose Quintana, however, didn't need the early help, as they combined for 10 2/3 innings and just two runs allowed. Maddon went to his bullpen after Christian Yelich singled off Quintana to lead off the sixth. Quintana … [Read more...] about MLB playoffs: Cubs, Brewers bullpens set up differently following dramatic NL Central tiebreaker